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drikko
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Posts: 1966
Location: Brisbane, OZ
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 Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 7:27 am Post subject: HID conversion for Headlight |
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So I got one of the cheap Hi/Loconverterter kits alledgedly for motorcycles, suspect it is a bit more waterproff. Bulb temperature 4300k, as I really don't like the blue tint some of them are. Got it going tonight, went for a ride and WOW it was like driving during the day!! It was just SO much brighter it was phenomenal. As someone else mentioned, my Hella FF50 which up till now was awesome, just didn't make a sod of difference, ie I couldn't tell if it was on or off.
I notice you can get cheap kits for these as well, ie H7 bulb HID kits which will fit the FF50's so will add them as well. For about A$40 each, you just can't buy that much light any other way.
Just go to eBay, search for H4 or H7 HID kit and you will find them. They didn't even charge me freight for mine!
Some have mentioned light leakage, didn't seem to be a problem, none of the cars coming the other way complained, and you can adjust them lower than the standard bulb as they juist don't need to be as high. The ow beam pool of light was under the boot (trunk?) of the car in front and there was enough scattered light to see reflectors for a long way on low beam. High beam is like a searchlight.
I set it up so I can switch bulbs on the road and revert to the standard bulb in a few minutes easily in case the ballast dies or anything.
Cheers
F
_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB
DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.
'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde |
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 9:56 am Post subject: |
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I just installed an HID kit myself. Haven't taken her out yet, as I'm waiting on my forks.
The 4300K is nowhere near the blue spectrum, mate. Those are actually a bit yellow, much like halogen, but a bit whiter. I installed the 6000K crystal white kit. Blue lights are further up the spectrum (8000K +) and do not put out as much light.
The PIAA 1192X kit I installed is brighter than the HID kit. I'm going to enjoy these mods, for sure.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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drikko
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Posts: 1966
Location: Brisbane, OZ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:02 am Post subject: |
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| Naked Hoof wrote: |
The 4300K is nowhere near the blue spectrum, mate. Those are actually a bit yellow, much like halogen, but a bit whiter |
I know they weren't blue which is why I went that low. They sure look whiter than white to me though, no yellow at all I could tell. Way whiter than my super duper extra white Philips Halogen bulb I had in there.
Any blue in the headlight would attract police attention here as they aren't legal. I hope these are!
Am looking forward to converting the hellas too.
_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB
DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.
'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde |
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 10:39 am Post subject: |
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| drikko wrote: | | Naked Hoof wrote: |
The 4300K is nowhere near the blue spectrum, mate. Those are actually a bit yellow, much like halogen, but a bit whiter |
I know they weren't blue which is why I went that low. They sure look whiter than white to me though, no yellow at all I could tell. Way whiter than my super duper extra white Philips Halogen bulb I had in there. |
Yeah, 'twas my bad for not doing a thorough read of your post.
The 4300K are very close to white. I have the same temp in my Audi. They are a bit yellow, though probably not noticeable.
Those white halogen bulbs are (supposedly) a waste of money as they are (supposedly) no brighter than a stock bulb. I have read that these bulbs don't last as long because they way they get them so bright is to make the filaments thinner. I have no idea if that's fact or fiction, as I don't have the equipment to test for such things.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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drikko
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Posts: 1966
Location: Brisbane, OZ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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Haha, no worries, the brighter bulbs definitely improved things a bit, but the HIDs make them look like candles! I'm too scared to put them in my 4WD as the photon stream out the front might slow it down too much!
_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB
DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.
'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde |
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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| drikko wrote: | | Haha, no worries, the brighter bulbs definitely improved things a bit, but the HIDs make them look like candles! I'm too scared to put them in my 4WD as the photon stream out the front might slow it down too much! |
Yeah, HIDs should IMO be standard equipment on all vehicles.
The HID upgrade was so easy to do, also. At $50 shipped, you can't go wrong. I'm guessing there are fewer costs involved getting them down under, hence the difference between yours and mine.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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drikko
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Posts: 1966
Location: Brisbane, OZ
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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That's the exact kit that I got, but I bought from another place with free shipping and $3 less. They have a separate website, but the eBay listing is pretty much the same.
http://hidcountry.com/Products/motorcyclehidconversion.php
I mounted the ballast just under the left side of the headlight housing using 3M double sided tape. Fits perfect. The wiring harness required no shortening of cables. Great kit, great price.
I see their free shipping is gone now.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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Flying Duck
PsyKotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
Location: Bumf***, WA
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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The Xenon (non-HID) are brighter and whiter than halogen. I used to run a 55/60W in my K75RT and it was certainly better than the stock halogen bulb. I run 90/100W ones in my bikes now and they are MUCH brighter than a 55/60 old halogen bulb. With my high beams on, I've got enough light to do 80 comfortably - which is about as fast as I want to go at night anyhow.
(Caveat: Don't run higher wattage bulbs without adding headlight relays.)
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
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drikko
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Posts: 1966
Location: Brisbane, OZ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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Hhhmmm, canyou take a pic of where you mounted the ballast? I've just got mine cable tied in temporarily for the moment. Will go get some 3M tape and look where you said.
_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB
DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.
'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde |
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Flying Duck wrote: | The Xenon (non-HID) are brighter and whiter than halogen. I used to run a 55/60W in my K75RT and it was certainly better than the stock halogen bulb. I run 90/100W ones in my bikes now and they are MUCH brighter than a 55/60 old halogen bulb. With my high beams on, I've got enough light to do 80 comfortably - which is about as fast as I want to go at night anyhow.
(Caveat: Don't run higher wattage bulbs without adding headlight relays.) |
The only problem with Xenon replacements is that they all seem to be rated for shorter lifespan than the equivalent Halogens. At $50 USD for a true HID conversion, IMO it's a no brainer. It is a bit more work to install the HID system, however.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| drikko wrote: | | Hhhmmm, canyou take a pic of where you mounted the ballast? I've just got mine cable tied in temporarily for the moment. Will go get some 3M tape and look where you said. |
I'll take some pictures for you within the next two days. I've got the fairing mounted by the two top screws ATM until the forks get back. Once I remove it and put everything back together, I'll take some detailed pictures to show what worked for me.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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Flying Duck
PsyKotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
Location: Bumf***, WA
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Naked Hoof wrote: | | Flying Duck wrote: | The Xenon (non-HID) are brighter and whiter than halogen. I used to run a 55/60W in my K75RT and it was certainly better than the stock halogen bulb. I run 90/100W ones in my bikes now and they are MUCH brighter than a 55/60 old halogen bulb. With my high beams on, I've got enough light to do 80 comfortably - which is about as fast as I want to go at night anyhow.
(Caveat: Don't run higher wattage bulbs without adding headlight relays.) |
The only problem with Xenon replacements is that they all seem to be rated for shorter lifespan than the equivalent Halogens. At $50 USD for a true HID conversion, IMO it's a no brainer. It is a bit more work to install the HID system, however. |
$7.99 shipped for a pair off of 90/100W Xenon bulbs on eBay. The 55/60 one on my K75RT lasted about 25k. Haven't burned out one of the 90/100 ones yet. 24k on the LT bulb. 20k on the RS bulb.
The issues with an HID conversion arre that a) it's illegal (yeah, so is running a 90/100W bulb) and b) since the reflector isn't designed for the HID you can get light scatter that blinds other drivers - which is why they're illegal.
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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Naked Hoof
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 150
Location: Northern NJ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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You have to wonder how people are making money at these prices.
Considering the number of drivers with badly aimed headlights around here, I don't think it will be an issue locally, at least.
_________________
79 Honda CB750 trainer
traded for Suzuki GS1150e (stolen)
81 Honda CB900F
02 Kawasaki ZR7 (cursed)
93 K1100RS Mystic Red
Dreams should never be reduced in potency by subjecting them to reality. - Lord Snarebottom |
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drikko
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Posts: 1966
Location: Brisbane, OZ
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| Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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I have been reading up on the legality here in OZ, and I suspect it's similar over there. You are right the low beam is illegal, however high beam you can do what you want.
I have adjusted the high beam to be straight down the road for maximum distance, at this setting the bulk of the light on low beam is further down than it was for the halogens, but the road is still lit up just as well. So whilst it is illegal I am sure it isn't dazzling folks coming the other way.
So tomorrow night I am going to go for a drive with my mate on the bike and see what it is like for oncoming traffic ie have him ride the other way with me in the car. Based on that, if it is too bright I'll revert to the Halogen and just run HIDs in the Hella FF50s which is legal.
Reading the local legal crap, only low beam is the issue.
_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB
DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.
'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde |
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miKeinWIs
Mad Brick Rider
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Posts: 143
Location: Birchwood, WI
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 6:01 am Post subject: |
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Thanks drikko,
Been wondering about HID in these old bikes. I have read the reflector is not a match, as Drake stated. Anxious to hear your experience.
I am drawn to HID for the electrical power savings. I went to a 55/100 halogen bulb (w/relays), good high beam lite but add the Catz and you have 210W/17+amps. HID's draw a fraction of that.
Good luck. Hope it works
Mike
_________________
'97 K1100LT
Bought 6/30/09 w/26,750 miles |
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Flying Duck
PsyKotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
Location: Bumf***, WA
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| Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 11:27 am Post subject: |
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Why do you want to save power? The alternator in your bike has plenty to spare. I run a pair of 70W CATZ lights with a 90W low beam. No issues.
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE |
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miKeinWIs
Mad Brick Rider
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Posts: 143
Location: Birchwood, WI
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| Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 7:39 am Post subject: |
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Just a worry wart I guess.
But I still would like the extra lite at lower draw--if it really works.
Want to hear drikko's longer term eval.
Mike
_________________
'97 K1100LT
Bought 6/30/09 w/26,750 miles |
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old guy old bike
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 18 Jul 2007
Posts: 373
Location: Lisbon, OH
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Flying Duck
PsyKotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
Location: Bumf***, WA
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